High-stakes commercial litigation, often cross-border and frequently bet-the-company.

We have experience acting for businesses and individuals in disputes where the issues are complex, the stakes are significant, and the path to resolution requires both forensic rigour and strategic clarity. The work spans contractual disputes, shareholder and joint venture conflicts, post-M&A claims, and conspiracy actions.

Notable matters

• Counsel for a leading nephrologist in a four-year dispute brought by a minority shareholder of a dialysis clinic, alleging breach of an oral agreement, misrepresentation, and minority oppression. After a contested trial, the High Court accepted the defence that no such oral agreement existed and dismissed the claim in full, with Sushil Nair J observing that the case was a cautionary tale on the risks of doing business on undocumented oral understandings: Shiju Varghese Joyce and another v Kidney Therapeutics Centre Pte Ltd and another [2026] SGHC 81.
• Counsel for an individual and his company in obtaining a stay of a conspiracy action concerning inheritance assets spanning Singapore, Uzbekistan, the Marshall Islands, and Switzerland: Welton International Enterprise Pte Ltd and others v Averis Pte Ltd and others [2026] SGHC 34.
• Counsel for an individual resisting an appeal concerning the rescission of a USD 30 million share transaction, involving fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of contract, and bars to rescission: Liberty Sky Investments Ltd v Aesthetic Medical Partners Pte Ltd and other appeals and another matter [2020] 1 SLR 606.

Asset recovery, civil fraud, and internal investigations — often involving urgent injunctive relief and cross-border coordination.

We have experience acting for victims of fraud, financial institutions, liquidators, and corporates facing the full lifecycle of a fraud matter: from forensic investigation and search and freezing orders, through civil recovery proceedings, to enforcement across jurisdictions. The work often involves coordinating with foreign counsel, forensic accountants, and investigators. We are equally comfortable acting for plaintiffs pursuing recovery and defendants resisting overreaching claims.

Notable matters

• Counsel for three Korean companies resisting a complex conspiracy claim and successfully discharging three freezing orders: Sang Cheol Woo v Charles Choi Spackman and others [2021] SGHC 42.
• Counsel for the liquidators of three BVI companies linked to the 1MDB fraud in a multi-billion dollar claim against an international bank. The matter is one of the largest pieces of 1MDB-related civil recovery litigation in Singapore and has been the subject of extensive international press coverage.
• Counsel for an individual defrauded of SGD 6 million in the “SureWin4U” Ponzi scheme, in her claim against the uplines who induced her investment. The matter resulted in a judgment of approximately SGD 6.2 million against the two key figures, in a leading Singapore decision on civil recovery against participants in a Ponzi scheme: Chan Pik Sun v Wan Hoe Keet (alias Wen Haojie) and others and another appeal [2024] 1 SLR 893.

Disputes within and around private wealth structures — inheritance, mental capacity, family-controlled businesses, and beneficial ownership.

We have experience acting for high-net-worth individuals and families in disputes that demand sensitivity as much as technical skill. The work spans contested probate proceedings, mental capacity proceedings, claims over family-owned assets and businesses, and beneficial ownership disputes. Given the increasingly cross-border nature of such disputes, we are adept at working closely with private client lawyers and trustees across the region.

Representative matters

• Counsel for four high-net-worth individuals from an Indonesian family in an inheritance dispute over a family-owned conglomerate valued at over USD 200 million. The dispute was successfully resolved through mediation at the Singapore International Mediation Centre.
• Counsel for a pair of siblings resisting a claim brought by their elder sibling concerning the mental capacity of their aged parent: XJD v XJE and others [2025] SGFC 24.
• Counsel for three individuals against their siblings in a claim for beneficial ownership of shares in a family-owned construction company, in the High Court and on appeal: Ho Soo Tong and others v Ho Soo Fong and others [2023] SGHC 90.

Cargo claims, vessel arrests, charterparty disputes, and high-value commodities litigation and arbitration.

We have experiencing acting for parties in shipping and commodities disputes. The work includes urgent vessel arrests under the Rules of Court 2021, contested interpleader proceedings over cargo, and arbitration.

Notable matters

• Counsel for a major Chinese state-owned entity in five consolidated interpleader proceedings arising from the collapse of Hin Leong Trading (Pte) Ltd — one of the largest corporate frauds in Singapore’s history. The proceedings concerned ownership of oil cargo valued at over USD 300 million, laden on four vessels and stored in an oil terminal. The trial ran for 74 days and is among the longest in Singapore’s history.
• Counsel for a major state-owned entity in a Singapore International Arbitration Centre arbitration against one of the largest independent oil storage terminals in the Asia-Pacific, valued at approximately USD 40 million.
• Counsel for one of the world’s largest tanker companies in the arrest of two vessels arising from a chartering dispute, under the Rules of Court 2021.

In-house legal capability for businesses without the cost of a full-time hire.

We have experience advising businesses and founders from a legal and commercial perspective. The model is designed for organisations that have outgrown ad hoc external advice but are not yet ready, or do not need, to build out a full internal legal function.

Typical engagements cover commercial contracting and negotiation, employment and contractor arrangements, intellectual property and confidentiality, shareholder and governance matters, and the management of external counsel for litigation and transactional work. Fees are structured on a fixed monthly retainer, scaled to the volume of work expected, providing certainty and continuity that hourly billing cannot.

In particular, we bring to the role a disputes lawyer’s instinct for risk — identifying issues early, before they harden into litigation — alongside the commercial judgement to know when to push, when to compromise, and when to walk away.